"Sung-il Cho" <colorofspring@h...> wrote:
>> There is not enough longitudinal symmetry in the vocal cords to allow
>> nodal harmonics.
>
> Please excuse my ignorance, but what's nodal harmonics??
Sorry about the cryptic language! Harmonics may be created on a string
by lightly "stopping" it at a "node". In the middle would create an
octave. A third of the way down would create an octave and a fifth.
For this to work, the vibrating body must have some intrinsic symmetry.
This is so partials may provide sympathetic resonance for each other.
Violin strings are symmetric longitudinally, while a clarinet bore is
radially symmetric. The vocal cords are not too structurally complex to
produce such clean harmonics.
I used the modifier "nodal" to distinguish from another kind of vocal
harmonic, which exists in a resonator (like the Tibetan monks) instead
of in the actuator.
Hope this helps!
-Tako
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